Exhaust ventilation systems can be used to remove fumes and air contaminants generated by cooking appliances. These systems are usually equipped with an exhaust hood positioned above the cooking appliance, the hood including an exhaust fan that removes fumes from the area where the cooking appliance is used. Some systems also include manual or automatic dampers that can be opened or closed to change the exhaust air flow in the system.
In order to reduce or eliminate the fumes and other air contaminants generated during cooking it may be helpful to draw some of the air out of the ventilated space. This may increase the energy consumption of the cooking appliance or cooking range. Therefore, it is important to control the exhaust air flow rate to maintain enough air flow to eliminate fumes and other air contaminants, while reducing or minimizing energy loss.